


Muddied Waters

by wildorange



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Past Lin Beifong/Tenzin - Freeform, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:21:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26665090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildorange/pseuds/wildorange
Summary: Korra has arrived in Republic City which forces Lin to interact with Tenzin and his siblings stirring up painful memories of her broken marriage and some unexpected feelings toward a certain waterbender
Relationships: Lin Beifong/Kya II
Comments: 8
Kudos: 72
Collections: Kyalin, leituras atuais





	1. An unexpected guest

**Author's Note:**

> This is for all my lesbians out there (including me). Enjoy!  
> 

Lin Beifong had avoided Air Temple Island successfully for the last thirteen years. The last time she had set foot on it had been the day Tenzin had broken up with her and she had destroyed half of the island in a fit of rage. And now because of the avatar she had to return to that wretched place.  
Making her way through the busy streets of Republic City, Lin tried to suppress a surge of anger against Tenzin and his family. She clenched her fists directing her thoughts into another direction. Pema could barely be blamed after all and their children even less. Tenzin’s children, another thing she did not look forward to. Lin huffed quietly and made her way onto the small ferry.  
The island itself was as peaceful as she remembered it with a quiet breeze that caressed the leaves of the few tress, whispering softly. At the air temple she was greeted by a girl, approximately 12 years old and about 1.5m tall, who introduced herself as Jinora. Unmistakably she was Tenzin’s child. Not only were there features similar sharing the sharply cut jaw and chin and the broad nose but she carried herself with the same grace and seriousness.  
Immediately, Lin’s mind turned to the moment Tenzin had told her about his affair with Pema and her jaw muscles clenched. This is not the right time for grudges, she told herself, as she followed Jinora into the large living room that would serve as their eating space tonight. She felt uncomfortable walking into the large living room. There was something about a room with just a single door that had always made Lin uneasy. It seemed thoughtless, even dangerous to have so few exits for a room that size. However that wasn't the real reason this room made her want to turn on her heel and leave as fast as possible. She had lost count how many family dinners with Aang and Katara and sometimes even Toph or Sokka she had held here. This room was so full of memories of the life she had lived with Tenzin as well as her childhood that for a second she felt suffocated.  
Unsure of what to do she lingered by the door for a moment to observe the scene. Gathered around the table she could make out Korra on Tenzin’s right. On his left sat Pema holding a baby; next to Pema sat another girl maybe nine or ten years old fighting with a little boy over something on their plates. All of them were dressed in air nomad colours. Further to the end of the table she could spot two empty seats and-

“Linny! Thank god you came!” a deep voice rang through the room as Bumi made his way to her and before she could even greet him, he had already engulfed her into one of his bear-hugs. Slightly uncomfortable she patted him lightly on the back. Finally Lin could free herself. By now everyone was staring at her. This was exactly why she had been reluctant to accept Tenzin’s invitation for a ‘family dinner’. Hesitantly she held up her hand as a greeting, muttering a quiet good evening.

“Come on, sit down. We have been waiting for you. I’m starving.” Bumi took her arm and pulled her to the free seat next to him. “How nice to see you. Man, it has been ages.”, he chattered. Even though she was somewhat thrown off her guard by his boisterous greeting, she was relieved that Bumi was there as well. When they were young Bumi had been like a big brother to her and they had often had sparring matches, besides Bumi had his own grudge with his little Brother.

“Thank you for coming.” Tenzin said with a tense smile as if he was still somewhat afraid of being attacked by her. Lin held his gaze with a hardened expression.

“Daaaaad, can we eat now? I’m soooo hungry!” the small boy whined thus interrupting their staring contest.

“Alright, we might as well start. Who knows how long she is going to take.” Tenzin answered. He leaned a little over the table in Lin’s direction and continued: “That was Meelo by the way. This is Rohan, our youngest,” he gestured toward Pema holding the baby, who smiled shyly at Lin,

“this is Ikki” the girl sitting opposite her waved “… you have already met Jinora, my oldest daughter.” Lin did not quite know how to interact with the children so she simply tried to smile at them.

“Dig in, Linny.” Bumi nudged her in the ribs. Linny, no one had called her that in the last twenty years. Close to the end of their relationship even Tenzin had stopped using that name. The name brought back memories she did not want to relive at that moment. “Don’t call me that.” she growled more aggressively than she intended. Bumi only laughed.

“Don’t be so tense. Take some of those dumplings before Kya gets here!” Kya? For a second her heart rate quickened at the thought of seeing her. She didn’t know why she suddenly got a little nervous. Kya, only three years older than Lin, had been her closest friend and well, her only one when they were teenagers. She had always looked up to the waterbender and even adored her a little. Around the time she had started dating Tenzin as well as working full time as a police officer, Kya had gone to travel the world and they had quickly lost contact but last time they had seen each other was at Aang's funeral fifteen years ago. The encounter had only been brief and overshadowed by their grief.

“...well? Lin? Are you even listening” Bumi pulled her back into the present.

“What?” she answered a little confused.

“I was wondering how your job as Chief is going.”

“Fine.” she murmured.

“Hahaha, still as talkative as ever!”

Bumi knew better than to press the Chief of Police for answers he wasn’t going to get anyway and with everyone around the table talking and eating they fell into a comfortable silence. The food was actually quite good and with a mouthful of delicious dumplings Lin finally relaxed a little. She sat back and listened to the conversations around her, Tenzin was lecturing Korra on something while the children were fighting again. Suddenly a hand rested on her shoulder.

“How lovely to see you, Lin.” a soft voice she immediately recognized as Kya’s greeted her. The waterbender had entered without Lin noticing and was now sitting down next to her. She was dressed in a simple azur dress with short sleeves and a watertribe necklace. Her once dark brown hair had turned into an icy grey. Even before Lin could answer, Kya leaned forward wrapping her arms around the earth bender’s shoulder, pulling her into a tight embrace. Lin enhailed sharpley. Her nose filled with Kya’s scent. She smelled fresh like the arctic ocean with a hint of floral sweetness. It was a lovely, comforting smell.  
She could feel her cheeks heating up so she quickly freed herself.

“How are you? We haven’t talked properly in… what?” Kya gushed. Apparently very excited to see her old friend again.  
“Almost 25 years. And I’m fine.” was all Lin managed for an answer. She had never been easy in social situations and this was quite frankly overwhelming. Small talk had come difficult to her even at the best of times, but now after 12 years of barely any social interactions outside the necessities she was completely out of practice.

Kya was not yet satisfied with her curt answer: “Oh come on, Beifong. Tell me how you are doing.”

“I told you I’m fine. My Job keeps me busy. What about you?” This is going just great, Lin thought sarcastically. It seemed like she was going to have to sit through a whole evening of so called pleasantries that were in fact torture. The earthbender managed a small twist of her lips which could almost pass as a smile.

“Well, if you are still playing the monosyllabic game: I’m fine too.” at this point she leaned in closer so only Lin could hear her, “I’ll stay for a few weeks and if you have time we could catch up a little.” A warm wave passed through her as she saw the mischievous smile of her old friend. Maybe they could indeed rekindle their friendship.  
The dinner passed more or less uneventfully with one or two fights between the younger kids and Bumi teasing Lin and Tenzin only once.  
Over the course of the evening she was able to relax and get reacquainted with this formerly familiar setting. After Dinner Tenzin put the children to bed returning with wine which they shared. They had talked about Korra who was visibly unhappy with the situation, Aman’s threats and old times. It had in fact turned out to be a more or less pleasant evening.  
By the time Lin stood up she could feel a light buzz of the alcohol. The world around her took on a softer contour and the light seemed more favourable.  
She had almost reached the boat when she heard footsteps approaching rapidly.

“Lin, wait” Kya came to halt beside her, panting lightly.

“Phugh, we aren’t 30 anymore” she added.  
Of course they had aged but Kya looked as effortlessly elegant as always. In fact her now grey hair gave the appearance of a mature yet still beautiful woman. Somehow Lin was unable to take her eyes off the waterbender. Kya met her gaze and suddenly she could feel that warm and somewhat exciting feeling rushing through her again.

“No, we are not. but you have aged beautifully…” Lin mumbled before she could stop herself. She immediately turned her head away embarrassed. Kya blushed: “Well, so have you!” There was a brief tense pause. “How are you maintaining those muscles?” Kya filled the silence.

“I have to stay in shape for my work.” Lin looked at her feet. This conversation was already getting uncomfortable and they had only just started it. Why had she told Kya she looked beautiful? What an embarrassment. She had to get away before the effects of the wine would loosen her tongue even more.

As she looked up again she noticed that the water bender was still looking at her. Lin wanted nothing more than for this moment to be over but Kya seemed to struggle to fill the silence that had nestled itself between them.

“Did you want to talk to me or can leave now?” Lin almost barked. It had come out harsher than she had intended and she could glimpse a shadow of an injured expression rush across Kya’s soft features.

“I actually wanted to ask you if you’d like to go for a drink with me to catch up… maybe next week?”

“Okay. Next week is fine with me. But you choose the place. You brother has my contact.” With this curt answer Lin turned around and walked towards the boat without waiting for an answer.

Her head continued to replay her awkwardness over and over again. Your brother has my contact… she cringed at her own answer. This wasn’t some business associate. This was Kya, who used to be her best friend and as always she had made a fool of herself.  
All the way back to her apartment her thoughts were running wild. Kya’s piercing blue eyes wouldn’t leave her alone. Every time she thought about the older woman a surge of anxiety rolled over her. Had she been too brusque with her answers? She hadn’t been prepared to rekindle an old friendship tonight and felt even less prepared to meet her alone. They hadn’t talked in well, she had said it herself, almost 25 years. A lot had changed in the meantime. She wasn’t the same person she had been back then anymore.  
Would she still get along with Kya? She replayed the short interactions they had on the island. Kya implying the she was beautiful gave her a strange sensation in her stomach. She hadn’t been told that she was beautiful since Tenzin had left her, actually it had been a while even then. Lin felt a little nauseous sensation flutter through her stomach. No, not quite nauseous. It was more pleasant. She put it to the wine and tried to push the thoughts to the back of her head. Even though she was drained, sleep would not come quickly and when she finally fell asleep it was anything but restful.


	2. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a busy week Lin and Kya finally meet in a bar to catch up

The following week passed swiftly. With Aman on the streets there were more arrests to make than usual. Lin had barely any time to stop and listen to her thoughts. Every night she would come home late and rise early the next morning, getting barely more than 5 hours of sleep every night.  
But when by Thursday Kya still hadn’t called she felt herself fall into the familiar spiral after a particularly long day at work. Thoughts she had learned to push to the back of her head were creeping back in. Lin had spent years building solid walls around painful wounds while others had turned into scars that no longer hurt but did not heal well either. A certain kind of angry helplessness was washing over her. This feeling was quite familiar to the earthbender. She had felt it often, particularly over the past 15 years. The bitter aftertaste of her more than rocky childhood and her failed marriage kept coming back to her. Even though she had more or less learned how to deal with these waves of loneliness and dread it was still difficult to block out the unwanted thoughts, especially when she was worn out like today. Every fibre of her trained body ached, her head felt like lead and she longed for a proper dinner and full night of sleep. Lin knew her defences were down but it seemed an impossible effort to pull the walls back up. Of course she knew rationally that these thought spirals would be useless and only pull her into a deeper state of misery yet she was unable to fight them.  
Had Kya forgotten her? Lin started to wonder. Of course. She probably had better things to do, better people to meet, her mind whispered. Not now, not here, she thought and sighed. The Police department was the last place she wanted to have one of her ‘moments’ as Lin called them. It was too late. Once caught in one of those spirals it would be a long way down. She put down the pen she was holding. Only now the Chief Police realized how hard she must have held it judging by her white knuckles and the sharp pain that shot through her arm. She stood up, quickly grabbing her bag and making her way out of the office building. Lin took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Fists clenched she made her way home through to busy streets of Republic City trying to push the intruding memories away.  
Old memories of Toph always complaining about her lack of skill, calling her a killjoy, Su telling her over and over again that no one wanted to hang out with her because she was boring, Tenzin leaving her for a woman half her age rolled over her mind, drowning out every other thought and for a moment she was lost in the swirl of painful memories. Pull yourself together, she told herself. If Kya wouldn’t call it was just as well. They weren't even friends. Not anymore. She was way too busy to have friends anyway. Kya wouldn’t even fit into her schedule.  
At her apartment Lin quickly put together dinner even though it was past midnight. Angrily she chopped various vegetables, a knife in one hand occasionally exchanging it for a tumbler filled with fire whiskey.   
While cooking, she assured herself that it was for the best that Kya hadn’t called after all. Lin knew she had a tendency to push everyone away and it would be the same with Kya. So why waste energy on something that would only hurt her even more, she might as well stop bothering with the first step, she thought.  
Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her left index finger. 

“Spirits!” Lin muttered trying to catch the dripping blood from the cut in her finger onto the floor. She inhaled sharply when she held her hand under the cold water to calm the bleeding, filling the sink with red water. She sighed, what an evening, or rather what a week.   
After bandaging her cut she quickly finished cooking and gulped down her food before collapsing positively shattered onto her bed. How long would she be able to go like that, she wondered. But before she could ponder the question further she fell asleep. 

The next morning Lin woke up with a heavy head and a foul mood. This is going to be a fun day, she thought sarcastically as she got dressed, drowning a quick cup of jasmine tea.   
If her detectives had learned one thing over the years it was that Chief Beifong was not to be disturbed when she was in her office. This rule was especially important to follow when the Chief was in one of her moods where she would tear anyone to shreds who dared to utter the wrong words. The wrong words could in Chief Beifong’s case be a simple “good morning”.  
In her office Lin found a letter addressed to her that read ‘Chief of Police: Lin Beifong’.  
At first she thought it was work related but after closer inspection she recognized Kya’s messy handwriting. Even after 30 years it had barely changed. A tiny smile crept onto her face. She opened the letter carefully:

Hey Chief Beifong,  
I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier but this week turned out to be chaotic. Besides Tenzin did not have you “contact” after all! So I had to sneak into your office. Well sneak is the wrong word. One of your detectives let me in. Maybe this city isn’t so well protected after all ;) Anyway, I’ll be in “The Dancing Turtleduck” at half past 10 tonight. I know you are free so no excuse will be accepted. See you tonight!  
Kya

That woman had nerves, Lin thought. But by now it was difficult to hide her smile. She didn’t know why but the prospects of seeing Kya later lifted her mood considerately. It even mader her almost happy. A warm sensation settled in her stomach. Yesterday’s sorrows seemed small and ridiculous now. Of course Kya had thought of her… Why had she ever doubted beautiful, kind-hearted Kya. Lin stopped dead in her tracks. What was that, she thought. She felt the heat rise into her head and that weird sensation she had felt last week settle in her stomach. The earthbender subconsciously touched her tummy suddenly alarmed by how fast her heart was beating. She pulled out her chair and sat down. Was she getting sick, she wondered. She sighed, this day couldn’t pass fast enough.  
If the next Avatar had turned out to be a platybusbear the detectives of the Republic City police force would have been less surprised than they were today by their Chief smiling and leaving her office on time.

At exactly thirty minutes past ten the Chief of Police, Lin Beifong, found herself in front of the bar “The Dancing Turtleduck”. She had been here a couple of times already; she knew the place well yet she found herself slightly unsettled. Since social gatherings brought little joy to her the prospects of entering a tightly packed bar made her slightly uneasy. Of course that wasn’t the sole reason for her nervousness. She had just spent a considerable amount of time thinking about what she should wear to the occasion only to find that she did absolutely have nothing fitting in her wardrobe. There had been a wide range of white tank tops and a marvellous selection of black trunks but apart from that the only wearable thing that wasn’t her formal robe was a black turtleneck sweater that now seemed to sit a little too tight. She had paired it with a small necklace that had a tiny jade stone attached to it, one of her black pants and a light jacket. To her own embarrassment she had spent way too much time in front of her dinky bathroom mirror adjusting her hair and clothes. Now she was catching herself checking on her appearance in the mirror of a satomobile. Quickly the Chief of Police turned around, relieved that no one had observed her.  
She entered the bar. Immediately she was surrounded by the sound of people laughing, chatting, the faint noise of glasses hitting the table and beer bottles clinking. Her nose filled with the heavy scent of beer mixed with different perfumes of customers and the delicious odour of red wine.   
Lin let her eyes wander the scene in search of Kya but the waterbender was nowhere to be found. She looked at her watch again. It was half past ten on the dot. She was on time and Kya apparently not. She let out an annoyed sigh. At the bar she ordered a glass of ember island’s finest red and sat down at an empty table at the back of the bar. Minute after minute passed and yet Kay did not show up. After half an hour had passed Lin had finished her first glass. She was sure Kya wouldn’t turn up any more but it had been a stressful day so she ordered a second glass of wine. After a few minutes she started to wonder whether she should just leave. This was starting to get depressing. A middle aged woman alone in a bar on her second glass of red wine... She let out a short laugh which sounded more like a bitter snort.

“Hey Lin. Thank you for waiting. What’s so funny?” Kya was standing in front of her. She seemed to panting a little as if in a hurry.

“I was just thinking how depressing I must look...”

“What’s depressing about a beautiful lady in a bar waiting for her date?” Finally Lin looked up. Kya winked at her and chuckled. Her dress was simple yet effective in highlighting her curves. The dark blue fabric was held tightly around her waist by an elegant belt and loose around her hips. Her white hair fell onto her bare shoulders and her necklace accentuated to dress’ low cut. Lin found herself starring a little too long. A soft red hue spread on her cheeks. She turned her head away, finishing her wine hastily in an effort to hide that blush.

“Look at you blushing!” Kya mocked her. Quickly she added in a gentle tone as she saw the earthbender cringe: “I’m only teasing, Lin.” Once more an awkward silence settled between the two women which they both struggled to fill.

“Well, I’ll get myself a drink, do you want anything?”

Lin didn’t look up as she nodded toward the now empty glass murmuring: “I’ll have another Ember Island red. Thank you.”  
As Kya made her way toward the bar Lin shook her head. Why had she just blushed? She looked at the two empty glasses in front of her and put it once again to the amount of alcohol she had already consumed.  
The waterbender returned with Lin’s wine in one hand while her other hand held a slightly bubbly drink with some kind of fruit decorations that almost formed a tower on the brim of the glass.

“What in spirits name ist that?”

Kya took a sip of her cocktail and started grinning.

“This, my dear, is called a flying bison and it’s delicious.” Lin raised an eyebrow to signal that the name did nothing to describe the drink.

“Well, it’s this sweet alcohol that tastes a little like a fruit salad, mixed with some tonic water. I guess the bubbles are meant to symbolize the air or something and the fruit is there because of the airbenders’ vegetarian diet. At least that’s what I’ve been told..” Kya cocked her head and smirked slightly.

“Would you like to try it? ” Lin quickly shook her head.

“I’d rather stay with my trusted ember island...”

“Oh come on, it’s really good! Be a little adventurous, you might even like it!” Kya’s tone was provocative as if to challenge her. Lin rolled her eyes. Kya ignored her, took the glass and held it right in front of her face. Reluctantly Lin grabbed the straw with her mouth taking a small sip.

“Wow, it’s very sweet!” she quickly rinsed her mouth with some wine. Kya chuckled as she saw the expression of disgust speed across the earthbender’s face.  
From that point on the ice seemed to be broken. Even though their conversation barely crossed the line that separates small talk from actual conversation Lin still enjoyed herself. It felt like catching up with an old friend who no longer counted as a good friend. After thinking about that for a while she decided that that was exactly what she was doing. Kya was a friend from a long time ago whom she knew but in a sort of distant way. Nevertheless she liked how Kya talked to her. The wine loosen her tongue and made conversation flow a little easier. Besides it wasn’t difficult to talk to the waterbender anyway because it was her who did most of the talking so Lin could listen, relax and smile and nod at the appropriate moments.  
It was getting late. And after her third glass of wine Lin found it rather difficult to concentrate on Kya’s stories. Her gaze wandered across the woman sitting opposite her. Kya’s icy blue eyes lit up when she talked about her adventures and for a moment they seemed to reflect the bright blue sky on a winter morning. And then there was her mouth. Tiny lines told tales of laughter which framed her dark lips beautifully. Right now they curled into a smile.

“Lin, wouldn’t you agree?” Catapulted back into reality Lin didn’t know what to say. She had obviously not been listening so all she could do was stammer: “Y-yes?”

“You haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about!” Kya pretended to be offended.

“I’m sorry. I must have drifted off...” Now a mischievous grin spread across the face of the older woman and now she said in a playful tone:

“Have you been admiring the view?” To underline her point she winked flirtatiously at Lin whose face immediately turned into a color usually found in lobsters.

“Wow, this is the second time I see Lin Beifong blush tonight. Aren't I one lucky lady...”  
Lin's heart skipped a beat before it settled into a slight gallop. All she could master was a nervous laugh.  
She suddenly felt the urge to occupy her hands in order to hide the light tremble that went through her. Without her noticing she started fiddling with her necklace. Kya furrowed her brow and leant across the table.

“What’s that?”

“What? The chain?”

“No, the bandaging… Let me see.” Kya reached for her hand but Lin pulled it away quickly.

“It’s nothing, just a small cut I got cooking. I can barely feel it.” Lin tried to hide her hand. She wasn’t sure was ready to have Kya touch her right now.

“I’m a healer, you Idiot.“ At this point Kya had bent a small amount of water out of a flask attached to her the belt of her dress to hang over the table.

“Take off that bandage.” She commanded and Lin felt herself take off the white fabric that was covering her hand. Then she placed her hand on the table.

“Well, that’s more than a small cut. You almost hacked off that finger of yours.” Kya chuckled and let the water flow around the wound. Lin looked at the light blue glow that had engulfed her hand. Her gaze wondered onto Kya’s long, elegant hands that were guiding the water around the vanishing cut. All of a sudden there was this urge to reach for Kya. For a moment she fought with herself wondering whether she should simply stretch her fingers a little and close the distance between them. In the meantime the glow had subsided and the water was back in its flask. Lin hadn’t even noticed that Kya had stopped bending it.

“You should take better care.” Kya said softly. The silence between them was thick with tension. The waterbender added in a barely audible whisper: “You know, you have beautiful hands...” Lin’s heart started beating faster again. After a brief hesitation Kya reached over the table and touched Lin’s fingers lightly. A sudden flash ran through the earthbender. She felt like someone had just run an electric current through her hand into her heart which was now pounding her chest. This was way too much. She felt overwhelmed by this wave that was drowning out everything else. She pulled her hand away quickly. Her head was spinning as just jumped up and grabbed her coat. With shaky fingers she reached for her purse.

“Are you okay?” Kya’s question seemed to come from far away through a thick layer of cotton wool.

“I-I-I’ve got to go!” Lin stammered. She tried to focus on counting the money but it was impossible so she just grabbed a few notes and put them on the table. She didn’t care that it was probably way too much. All she wanted to do was get out. Out of this crowded room and out of the situation. Without looking at Kya Lin turned around leaving behind the perplexed waterbender.  
Outside the bar the cool night air cleared her head a little. She inhaled deeply in an effort to calm the whirlwind that was racing through her mind.That night all she could think about was the feeling that had shot through her the moment Kya had touched her hand and when she saw the sun rising again she hadn’t been able to get a single minute of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this took a while... Uni happened and I lost track of my stories


End file.
